Struggling Mariners fire general manager

The Seattle Mariners fired General Manager Bill Bavasi on Monday as the team lags with the worst record in baseball after starting the season with playoff hopes.

Vice president/associate general manager Lee Pelekoudas will take over in his place.

“Change is in order,” Mariners Chief Executive Howard Lincoln said in a release. “We have determined new leadership is needed in the GM position. With a new leader will come a new plan and a new approach. A search will begin immediately for a permanent GM, and Lee will be a candidate for the position.”

Bavasi was in his fifth season as Seattle’s GM, only once turning out a club that finished with a winning record. That was last year when Seattle won a surprising 88 games and was in contention for a playoff spot into September.

But 2008 has been nothing but underachievement from the start. Despite being armed with a $117-million payroll, the Mariners began Monday night with a 24-45 record.

After a loss to the Angels two weeks ago, Bavasi forced the players to sit at the lockers and speak to the media after the game for some public accountability.

“What I did was stupid,” Bavasi said Monday. “The goal was to have them for once be in the same place at the same time after a game, after they had played real poorly. Sometimes you lose and sometimes you get beat, there is a difference, and we have lost too many games.”

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New York Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang is expected to be sidelined until at least September after injuring his foot running the bases Sunday, prompting club co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner to chastise the National League for playing without a designated hitter.

Wang partially tore a tendon and sprained his right foot. He will be on crutches and wear a protective boot for a minimum of six weeks.

“My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century,” Steinbrenner said.

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David Ortiz had the cast removed from his injured left wrist and replaced by a removable splint, an encouraging sign for Boston’s big slugger.

“They weren’t going to remove the cast until he was pain-free,” Manager Terry Francona said. “I think that’s a real good sign.

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The Detroit Tigers activated setup man Fernando Rodney from the disabled list. Rodney has missed the entire season with shoulder problems.

Severe thunderstorms drenched historic Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y., forcing cancellation of the final Hall of Fame Game, scheduled to be between the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs.